Marine Corps Weapons

Draughon: Every Marine is a rifleman. That's what they teach us and that's what we learn.

Flynn: The Marines are definitely the subject matter experts on our particular weapons systems. That's what they bring to fight.

Lindsey: My military occupation is an armor 2100. I take care of all the small arms weapons, M16s, A2's, A4's, 9mm's, SAWs, 50 cals, all the 13 different type of weapon systems the Marine Corps has.

Dixon: M240 Bravo, it's a medium machine gun. It fires 762 cyclic rate, which is just holding down the trigger, between 650 and 900 rounds a minute. Basically if you want, you can put down a wall of lead. We are the ultimate support. The battlefield is a dance floor, and machine gunners are the jukebox. As 11's, we keep the heads down of everybody that's shooting at them.

Draughon: This is the M4 carbine. It fires a 556 NATO round. It doesn't matter where you are in the Marine Corps, everyone knows how to shoot this weapon effectively up to 500 yards.

McMillin: This is an Mark 19, a 40mm automatic grenade launcher. It's a great, great support asset to have with you no matter where you go.

Marine (off camera): This is a Browning M250 caliber machine gun. It's an awesome weapon system, and you can go just about anywhere with this heavy machine gun and do whatever you need to do.

Rader: Standard Issue M9 Beretta pistol. It's clear, no rounds. As the standard issue pistol for the Marine Corps, everybody that rates a pistol does get one of these. It is a 9mm. It receives a 15 round magazine and is fired semiautomatic.

Maddy: I'm a motorman. A motor is a high angle fire weapon. Basically we're able to reach out and touch people from far away.

Wren: This is a M40A1 Saber antitank missile system. We can hit targets moving laterally at 45-50 miles an hour in front of us at about 3,500 meters and have about 95% hit ratio every time.

Horrocks: Using a lot of conventional artillery, a lot of area fire weapons, we can now engage from a further distance with precision guidance.

McArthur: We may not show up with the biggest weapon system, the largest piece of armor, but you don't have to. You just need to know how to use the tools that you have.

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On board the new Ironsides, I had the Marine guard stationed at the after gun, thirty-five in number, and I think it was conceded that no gun of that heavy battery was worked more efficiently than the "Marine gun" as it was called.